Author Archives: Dana

About Dana

Dana runs, she bakes, and she writes, making her perfect for us! She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Wichita State University, has a self-taught proficiency for vegan and vegetarian baking, and considers herself a lifelong learner of all things health. She lives life to the fullest in Wichita, KS with her husband.

Caprese Grilled Cheese is a Healthy Twist on an Italian Classic

The first time I ever tried a caprese salad was when I was visiting my much-more-sophisticated-than-I older cousin Billy Jo. She and her husband own an exquisite home in Houston and my sister and I were down for a visit nearly a decade ago now.

Before dinner one night, Billy pullled out the ingredients for a caprese salad – fresh mozzarella, gorgeous roma tomatoes, huge stems of basil, and a little balsamic vinegar.

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Never having seen such an adventurous flavor combination before, I watched closely as she meticulously layered the cheese with the tomato, and then the basil, over and over again until the plate resembled the Italian flag. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar finished it off before we all claimed our portion. Admittedly, my then 16-year-old self didn’t appreciate the robust, fresh flavors. But now, it’s one of my absolute favorite Italian bites. This “grilled cheese” sandwich is an homage to that salad with a bit more heartiness and the ease of portability. (more…)

Food Blogger Spotlight: Sonja and Alex Overhiser of A Couple Cooks

The more I started digging into whole foods, the more I started learning about whole foods blogs that boasted amazing recipes like Blueberry oat cobblers, Tuscan kale salads, and superfood nut butter cups (just to name a few). Such a blog is A Couple Cooks, run by husband and wife team Alex and Sonja Overhiser.

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We had the pleasure of speaking with Sonja recently about she and Alex’s blog, their approach to health, and their outlook on life. Here’s what she had to say.

Why did you start your food blog?
A Couple Cooks started as an offshoot of what was our personal blog at the time, which was quickly becoming filled with photos of food as we were falling in love with cooking. However, we also started it with a mission – as a place to inspire home cooking and healthy eating, which we’d found so much joy and fulfillment from in our own lives. It’s taken on a new life from when it started – it’s become a place where we can express ourselves creatively, as well as a way to connect to our local food community and others around the world who love food. It also gives us a place to think about advocacy and activism, be it for food/health issues, environment, or social justice. (more…)

Jessica Alba Used Controversial Double Corset to Lose Baby Weight

  • In an interview with Net-A-Porter magazine, 31-year-old actress and mother of two Jessica Alba admitted to using a corset to achieve her sleek and toned body after babies. The star was quoted as saying “After birth I wore a double corset for three months. It was sweaty but worth it.”jessica-alba-corset-weight-loss
  • While corsets can serve many purposes, some rely on them for weight loss because of their supposed ability to create thermal heat through the midsection, causing users to lose inches “through the science of compression,” according to hourglassangel.com.
  • Many garments from hourglassangel.com also include latex, which is designed to compress the midsection, increase perspiration – as Alba noted – and flush toxins from the area, collectively speeding weight loss.
  • In an experimental report for ABC News, journalist Deborah Roberts wore a corset for two weeks. On day two she admitted being “starving and feeling a bit squeezed…After four or five bites [of salad], I can’t eat anymore. I feel full.” (more…)

Julie Knapp Lost 100 Pounds with Nutrisystem and Reclaimed Her Life [VIDEO]

When did your weight struggles begin?
The truth of the matter is I was always a heavy kid. There was never an inciting incident that made me gain weight. From the time I started elementary school I was overweight and it got progressively more out of hand.

Where did your your bad eating habits come from?
My mom has told me before she wishes she’d have known or she’d have taken the bagel out of my hand, but it’s hard to tell your kid no. I agree with her. I think I would have very much resented my family for doing that. (more…)

8 Tips to Sleep Better and Longer, Tonight

As we move into spring it’s the perfect time to become more mindful of our sleep patterns. Adequate rest is important for so many reasons. Health and fitness expert Stephanie Mansour of Step it Up with Steph points out that adequate rest can help reset and cleanse our bodies to get back on track. “Some people even look at spring as a rebirth or revival and a chance to start over,” she said, suggesting more rest can be a “spring resolution” of sorts.

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Mary Hartley, RD, agrees, noting good rest is necessary all year long. “Health wise, sleep is just as important as diet and exercise,” she said. “Getting enough sleep may also be a critical factor in a person’s weight.”

While 7-8 hours is recommended and a new study even suggests Americans are getting more shut eye than usual, it’s also important to ensure it’s quality rest. Otherwise, the benefits of those precious ZZZs can slip right through our fingers.

To help, we’ve gathered eight simple tips to help you start sleeping better and longer, tonight. (more…)

Food Blogger Spotlight: Holly Whitleff of The Healthy Everythingtarian

I love introducing new friends, especially when I know they’ll hit off. Diets In Review readers, I know you’ll love one of my dearest online friends Holly Whitleff, who runs the healthy, inspiring, ever-delicious blog The Healthy Everythingtarian. So many good things to say about this girl I hardly know where to start!holly-the-healthy-everythingtarian

Let’s begin with food. Holly has always approached food practically and healthfully, avoiding any fad diet trends or overly-complicated ingredients or equipment. That’s why I’ve always loved her blog: Healthy, simple food inspiration can always be found. Apple cheddar tart, anyone? Plus, she’s one of the most entertaining online writers you’ll read.

I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Holly recently about her blog, her life and her practical approach to health. Here’s what she had to say. (more…)

Conscious Cleanse: A Review of the Cleanse That Changed My Mind

Typically we publish a workout-centered post on Saturdays – you know the drill. But today I was given the freedom to talk on something else. I’ve chosen something relevant to me right now in my “journey to health,” which is a cleanse I’m currently enduring.

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Before you roll your eyes, lock up your kids and call me a fanatic, hear me out. Prior to this cleanse I was entirely adverse to anything with the word ‘cleanse’ in it, and have always viewed anything with the label an unsafe fad or trick to help you fit into your skinny jeans or “finally break the bondage of that grilled cheese addiction.”

This cleanse, however, is different. It’s been more of a learning process than a diet, and it’s allowed me to change the way I view food and how it nourishes me. It’s also helped me realize how I’d unknowingly grown so unaware of how food and the body work together to achieve optimum health. (more…)

How Fitbloggin’ Founder Roni Noone Lost 70 Pounds and Became a Tough Mudder Addict

Roni Noone is one of our favorite healthy bloggers and for good reason. More than eight years ago she lost 70 pounds and still boasts a lean, strong body today despite two kids, plenty of diet blunders and a hectic schedule. The best part about it? She’s just an everyday mom being real, trying to stay healthy and inspiring others to do the same. If you’ve never met Roni, prepare to be inspired.

Roni’s weight struggles began around age 12 when she saw a photograph of herself and didn’t like what she saw. “That’s when I started obsessing over becoming thinner – skipping lunch and trying not to eat much at home,” she said. “I starting the yo-yo cycle of deprivation and binging, and I did that throughout high school.”Roni-Noone-Before-and-After

Though it helped her maintain a “healthy weight” through her teens, the cycle of binging and starving did her more harm later on in college. By the time she graduated she weighed 210 pounds, and the struggle didn’t stop there.

After college when the low carb craze was all the rage, Roni hopped on the band wagon and cut out nearly all carbs from her diet. Though it helped her lose weight initially, she inevitably gained it all back. To make matters worse, she and her husband were hoping to start a family soon, so reaching a healthy weight became critical. (more…)

The 15 Worst Pieces of Diet Advice We Feed our Kids

We’ve all been fed bad diet advice at some point in our lives, usually with negative consequences. But what about the diet advice we feed our kids? Is it healthy, constructive, inspiring? Are we setting them up for nutritional success or failure?kids-diet-advice

These are questions we should be asking ourselves when raising a child. The diet examples we set for our kids and the words we use to guide them will no doubt affect their relationship with food. Unfortunately, just one poor example or one piece of bad advice can cause a flurry of negative results.

While there’s a descent amount of truth out there regarding kids and diet, there’s also a lot of bogus advice. This is especially sad considering this is such a crucial time for our nation amidst a childhood obesity epidemic.

A recent study suggested that kids should simply eat off smaller plates to avoid obesity. This isn’t terrible advice, per say, but eating off a smaller plate isn’t going to solve the problem. Kids need to develop a healthy understanding of food as nutrition instead of learning little “tricks” to hopefully divert them from health disasters. (more…)

Two Explosions Near Boston Marathon Finish Line Hault Race, Injuries Reported

  • Two explosions have occurred just near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Two loud booms were reportedly heard from near the finish line, just inside the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel.
  • As a result, race officials have locked down the hotel and the area has been evacuated. The blasts reportedly sounded like thunder.
  • Various people are injured but conscious. Spectators are being shepherded to medical tents. No deaths have been reported.
  • People are being urged to stay away from trash recepticals and garbage cans, as it is unclear where the explosion originated from.
  • Runners are being redirected away from the finish line. As a result, Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley tweeted that he and around 20,000 runners are stuck at a corral at mile 26.
  • 3:43p ET: “Trauma nurse tells ABC News that the race’s medical tent has become a makeshift morgue. Dealing with injuries including severed limbs and children with severe burns.”
  • 4:00p ET: ABC reports 15 to 20 injured.

Find more information at LA Times and NYPost. (more…)

Food Blogger Spotlight: Madison Mayberry of Espresso and Cream

A love for food and blogging collided for 25-year-old Madison Mayberry, who discovered her love for recipe development and food photography as an intern at Better Homes and Gardens. Today Madison runs the successful food blog Espresso and Cream and plays food editor at Betty Crocker Kitchens. One visit to Madison’s blog and she had me at almond meal pancakes and whole wheat chocolate banana bread. Stop by and we think you’ll fall for Espresso and Cream, too.

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We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Madison about her blog, her approach to health and diet, and some of her favorite recipes to date. Here’s what she had to say.

How did you start your food blog?
I started my blog, Espresso and Cream, when I was an intern at Better Homes and Gardens magazine back in 2024. I was working on the food editorial team and wanted a creative outlet that allowed me to share the recipes I was working on and enjoying in my personal life, not just the things I was working on as part of the magazine staff. (more…)